Corn-harvester



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001w HARVESTER. No. 522,386. Patented July 3, 1894.

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CORN HARVESTER. No 522,386. Patented July 3, 1894.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

RASMUS PEDERSON, OF DRAMMAN, MINNESOTA;

CORN-HARIVESTER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of LettersPatent No. 522,386, dated July 3, 1 894. I

' Application filed January 2, 1894.. Serial No. 495,336. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concermr Be it known'that'I, RAsMUs PEDERSON, a citizen of the United States, residing at Dramman township, in the county of Lincoln and 5 State of Minnesota, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Corn-Harvesters; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of theinvention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to corn-harvesters. In certain of its features, the machine herein shown and described, is similar to the r 5 machines described in my former United States patent, No. 494,023, of date March 21,

1893, and my pendingapplication, Serial No.

' 478,775, filed of date June 26, 1893. Several important features of improvement have,

however, been added, with a view of rendering the machine more efficient.

My improved machine will be hereinafter fully described; and the novel parts and combinations of parts, therein contained, will be defined in the claims.

The machine isillustrated in'the accompanying drawings, wherein, like .letters referring to like parts throughout- Figure 1 is a right side elevation, with some parts broken away. Fig. 2 is a view, partly in plan and partly-in horizontal section, ap-

' proximately on the line. X X of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a longitudinal vertical section through the entire machine, approximately on the line X X of Fig. 2, with some parts removed and others broken away. Fig. 4 is a front elevation of the machine, with some parts removed. Fig. 5 is a detail in inside vertical elevation, with some parts broken'away, showing the two-part or sectional telescoping standards, for the reel carrier shaft. Fig. 6 is a vertical section, on the line X X of Fig. 5. Fig. 7 is a cross section, on the line X X of Fig. 5. Fig. 8 is a detail, partlyin plan and partly in section, showing a part of the reel carrier, and the clutch members in the reeldrive, &c.

' Fig. 9- is a bottom plan of the gathering crotches, crotch-knives, reciprocating cutters,

&c., detached. Fig. 10 is a bottom plan of' one of the dumping tables or bundle-carriers,

detached. Fig. 11 is a section of one of the bundle-carriers and a part of the main frame,

'on the line X X of Fig. 1, looking toward the front.

The ground-wheels a, are loose on the main axlea' and have pawl and ratchet connection therewith, (not shown.) The axle a is mounted in bearings a fixed to an angle-iron frame base; This frame base is composed of side members b b b, and cross-members b and b b I). These side and cross members are all rigidly bolted together and constitute a strong basefor the other parts of the main frame. Of the side members, the parts 19 are bent outward,at the rear ends of the body portions b, to form rear end supports, for the dumping table; and the partsb project forward of the front end cross member, to form supports for the inside gathering plates, thills, &c. Of the cross members, the barb is rigidly bolted to the body portions 1) of the side members; and the front end member has the parts 12 extended outward beyond the side members, and the part b bent'upon the parts b and extended forward parallel with 5 the parts 12 of the side members, which parts 19 I), serve to supporta number of the other parts of the machine, which will presently be noted. The parts b are braced by rods 5 To the side members of the base are rigidly secured the. vertical side plates 0, and the inside gathering plates 0', which plates are formed integral witheach other and of the shape shown in Figs. 1 and 3. The frame is further braced crosswise, by the lifting or frame tilting shaft d, fixed to the side plates 0, near their rear ends; and by a clamping rod d, which connects the combined side plates and gathering plates at the top junctions of the same and co-operates with some 0 other parts, for holding the reel carrier shaft in any desired vertical adj ustment. Stay rods d also brace the plates 0 c from the frame base. I

On the shaft 61, is loosely sleeved a casterwheel carrier or bracketfi'havin'g a downwardly extended sleeve portion f, in which is pivoted the caster-wheel). To the bracket f, is fixed the hand-lever f with spring-pawl f engageable with the lock segment f fixed reo to the shaft (:1, for throwing the caster-wheel forward or backward with respect to the ground-wheels a, and thereby raising or lowering the front end of the main frame by tilting the frame on the axle a. The driver can reach the lever f 3 from the spring-seat 9, supported from the main frame.

To the portions b of the frame-base, are fixed the outside gathering plates h, for cooperation with the inside gathering plates c. To the gathering plates 0 and h, are adj ustably secured a pair of yieldingly held arighting arms h, which work at an inward and downward dip, and serve to lift up and direct to the gathering plates the fallen or tangled stalks of corn.

To the portions b b b of the frame-base, are secured the crotch-knives k. The connection of the knives to the parts b is by pivot-pins 7c; and the connection of the same to the parts I1 I) is by slot and pin engagement, as shown at 70 the pins of which may engage with any one of the series of holes 70 formed in the said parts I) I), to set the knives to, in any desired angular adjustment, to vary the spread of the crotch.

For co-operation with the crotch-knives 7c, I provide reciprocating cutter-bars k one for each crotch, having each a single diamond shaped cutter k movable crosswise of the apex of the crotch formed by the knives k. The cutter-bars 7c, are mounted in boxes 70 fixed to the frame base, and are operated from a single pitman k through a common connecting rod or tie-bar k uniting the two cutter-bars. The pitman k is connected to crank-disk 70 on the pinion shaft 70 mounted in the bearing 70. The said pinion engages with the beveled gear 70 which is loose on the axle a and provided with a half clutch 70 en gageable with the shifting half-clutch 70 also on said shaft. The half clutch 7a, is engaged by an ordinary spring-pawl shipper lever 7e pivoted to the fixed sector-bracket it, and may be operated at will,to throw the beveled gear lo and the parts operated thereby into and out of gear with the main axle.

The single diamond shaped cutters it, for cooperation with the crotch knives 7c, constitute a material improvement over my prior machines. The single diamond shaped cutter gives a shearing out throughout its entire stroke, and a drawing one, as well, with respect to the knives 7a, which is very effective in cutting the stalks, and at the same time tends to clear the crotch. The single cutter is also much more efficient than a series of diamond shaped cutters on a common bar or different bars would be, inasmuch as the single cutter operates in one kerf on the stalks. Two or more cutters would have a haggling action on the stalk in different kerfs. The fact that both of the reciprocating cutters are driven from a single pitman is also an advantage in economy of construction and operation.

The reel an a n is mounted in the outer end of a carrier bracket or, which is loosely sleeved on a fixed cross-shaft 17. The said carrier has fixed to its inner sleeve a handlever 11 with spring-pawl n engageable with a notched sector a rigid on the shaft or, to hold the carrier a at any point of its pivotal adjustment on the said shaft '11.". The reel blades are of concave form, both crosswise and lengthwise of the reel-arms. The carrier supporting shaft n has attached thereto the sliding members a of sectional telescoping standards; the fixed members a of which, are secured to the inner surfaces of the vertical plates 0 c. The sliding sections n work in the fixed sections a as guides, and are provided at their lower ends with spring-latches n adapted to engage with any one of a series of holes at, in thefixed sections n". The fixed sections are slotted longitudinally, as shown at n, to permit the sliding movement of the outwardly projecting spring-latches a and the sliding sections at are slotted longitudinally, as shown at a, to permit the movement of the same independent of the clamping-rod d. The clamping rod d has collars at, which engage with the inner-surfaces of the sliding sections a and is provided with nuts or, engaging the screwthreaded outer ends of the rod, and working against the side plates 0 c, to tightly clamp the said standard sectionstogether and to the main frame in whatever position they may be set. It is obvious, that by loosening the nuts 11 and pulling outward the spring-latch a that the slidingsections a may be raised or lowered on the fixed sections it, to any position which may be desired for the proper vertical adjustment of the reel carrier shaft 72 and the reel carrier 11 With the construction so far described, the reel may be set at any desired height and be given any desired angular dip, which may be required for best adapting the same to its work. But the hills of corn or the stalks, if

drilled, are bound to be more or less unevenly spaced apart in the rows. Hence, as the reel must be driven directly or indirectly from the ground wheels, the timing of its blade strokes on the corn is liable to be thrownout, more or less, by the uneven spaces, and this is liable to be, to a greater or less extent, cumulative, To overcome this difficulty, I provide a reel-drive, which contains as one of its elements a clutch, the driven member of which may be thrown forward on the driving member, at will, in order to change the timing of the reel-strokes, with respect to the travel of the machine, as required for the proper action on the unequally spaced hills of corn.

I have shown a chain and sprocket drive, comprising the sprocket n on the same hub with the main driving gear 70 a-chain n" from sprocket n to a sprocket n looseon the reel-carrier shaft n andhaving a half clutch a a sprocket n also loose on the said shaft 12 and having a half clutch n engaging with 'the half clutch n; and a chain tension from a spring M", which tends to hold,

pawl-lever/n pivoted thereto, the pawl por-' tion of which is .engageable with a ratchet 71. cut on one hub of the sprocket n. It is obvious, that by operating the pawl-lever n that the driven half clutch member n and the sprocket n may be thrown forward, with respect to the driving clutch member 12 and sprocket n Hence, the timing of the reelblade strokes may be adjusted, at will, by simply operating the pawl lever 12 The dumping tables or bundle-carriers 10 have trunnious p j ournaled in the outwardly proj ecting parts I) and b of the frame-base. The trunnions p are located inward of the transverse centers of the said tables. The said tables 12 are provided, at points inward of their trunnious and near their longitudinal centers, with spring-seated s'taplesp mounted in guides or box-like seats 10 secured between the under surfaces of the tables and crossstraps 19 having inwardly projecting lips 10 adapted to engage with the under surface of the frame-base, when the tables are in their dumping position. The staples 10 connect above the tables, with hook-ended crank-arms p rigidly secured to the outer ends of adumping shaft 19 having secured thereto a hand-leriders, to lift the tables over any obstacles which may come in their path,-when in their dumping position. The action in this respect may be readily understood, by inspection of Figs. 10 and 11. If the table should be in its dumping position, as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 11, and the dumping shaft 10 be, in anywise, rigidly held, the spring staple p will yield, in case the beveled sections 19 or p should strike a stone or other obstacle, and thus allow the table to rise and readily ride over the same. When the tables p are thrown into their dumping positions, they will i be locked therein by the spring-latch p unless the operator holds the said latch from its nor mal action. Hence, the beveled surfaces for cooperation with the spring staples p are an important feature of the construction, for

the successful operation of the machine on stony or cloddy-ground; or in fields .where'a crop of pumpkins is grown along with the corn.

The thills r, are secured to the frame base portions 11 in any suitable way.

The operation. of the machine is obvious.

Under the forward motion of the same, with the draft animal walking between the two rows of corn, the corn will be, gathered into thecrotches by the arighting' arms and gathering plates and reels, and, under the co-operation of the fixed crotch knives and the reciprocating cutters, will be out OK and be thrown by the reel-blades backward onto the bundle-tables. Whenever the cut corn has accumulated on the tables into bundles of the-desired 'size, the driver operates the footlatch p and permits the tables to drop into their dumping position, under the weight of the bundles, against the tension of the springs 10, where the latch 19 will lock the same until again released by the operator, when the springs p? will restore the tables to their uppermost or normal position, where they will again be locked by the latch p Whenever the strokes of the reel-blades get out of time, the operator will correct the same by manipulating the pawl lever 10 In addition to the function of adjusting the reel carrier in the vertical plane, the telescoping sectional standards 12 n serve also as a a tightener for the sprocket-chain 71 When any considerable adjustment of the reel carrier is made, upward ordownward, more or less links would be taken from or added to the sprocket chain '12", which as is well known,

may be readily done with the link-belt chains.

What I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is as follows:

1. The combination with a reel, of a drive for the same, having as one of its elements, a clutch mechanism, the driven member of which is adapted to be thrown forward on the driving member thereof, to change the timing of the reel stroke, with reference to the travel of the machine, and a hand device operative on said driven member for giving the same its advancing movement with reference to said driving member, substantially as described.

2. The combination with the reel, of aclutch in the drive for the same, and a pawl .and ratchet device applied to the driven member of said clutch, for moving the same forward on the driving member to change the timing of the reel stroke, substantially as described.

3. The combination with the reel driving chains n 12 of the sprockets n n loose on the shaft n, provided with the half clutches n and 01 and under tension from spring at, as described,the hanger n loose on said shaft 71 and the pawl lever 12 pivoted to said hanger and engageable with the ratchet n on the hub of the sprocket n substantially as described.

4. The combination with the supporting nuts n ,al1 arranged and operating substanshatt in, for the reel carrier, of the pair of tially as and for the =purpose set'forth. 10 standard sections n fixed to the machine In testimonywhereofladfix mysignature in frame, having the series of holes n and the presence of two witnesses.

5 slots 11, the sliding standard sections n RASMUS PEDERSON.

working in said guide sections, having the Witnesses: spring latches n and the slots n and 'the GRANT MATTHEWS,

clamping rod d with the collars n and draw EDWIN POWDERLY. 

